Dovetail Partners, Inc.
528 Hennepin AVE, Suite 202
Minneapolis, MN 55403
612-333-0430
The domestic wood products industry currently faces significant challenges. These challenges are magnified in the hardwood industries with recent increases in foreign competition and the related economic impacts on the primary and secondary industries in the Eastern United States. This project, Helping the Wood Products Industry Survive the Next 10 Years, aims to help the industry understand and constructively respond to the challenges it faces. By providing interactive training, hands-on workshops and information to the wood products industry about the ever evolving global markets, the opportunities that exist, and the tools that are needed, this project aimes to assist this industry with adapting, embracing and thriving in the face of unprecedented changes in the industry. This project includes two components: a 2-day workshop delivered at the Wood Education and Resource Center facilities and the development of web-based resources to expand information delivery.
The workshop will include presentations that include:
* Surviving the next 10 years - an introduction to trends and changes in the global wood marketplace.
* Global Competition - detailed information about who is doing what in the world of wood.
* New Materials - discussions about bamboo, residues, bio-energy and the implications of these issues on wood product manufacturing.
* The "Green Tsunami" - a discussion on how to participate in the growing "green" marketplace.
* Trends in Certification Systems - an overview of certification, what it is, the various systems, why they won't just go away, and how to take advantage of this opportunity.
* Top 10 Things Wood Products MUST do to Succeed - the "To Do List" for the industry.
* The New Leadership Model - development of specific leadership skills that are necessary for the changing marketplace.
The objective of this project is to provide:
1. comprehensive training to 50-100 influential business leaders in the eastern hardwood region
2. activities and information that can be applied the "next day"
3. follow-up reinforcement through internet based activities.
training, global competition, economic competitiveness, organizational development skills, web-based resources
US Forest Service Grant
$ 70,000
Cooperative Funding
$ 70,000
Total
$ 140,000
A workshop, titled "Helping the Wood Products Industry Profit from the Next 10 Years," was delivered at the Wood Education and Resource Center in Princeton, WV on April 11-12, 2006. Topics included; leadership in a changing world, hat world-class organizations are doing to compete, changing cabinet production in the face of intense global competition, the role of the Forest Products Society in supporting change, global trends affecting the forest products industry, leading a company through major change, succeeding in today's hardwood lumber market, top 10 success factors for industry, and opportunities in green building for forest products companies.
